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The demand for fresh water is constantly increasing among all water users. Irrigation in Ethiopia consumes a large amount of water extracted from various sources. Hence, efficient water use and management are currently the major concerns in the country. Thus this paper aims to review the advancements, challenges, and opportunities regarding improving irrigation water use efficiency in Ethiopia. Irrigation in Ethiopia started in the 1950s with traditional irrigation systems. Now modern irrigation, including sprinkler and drip irrigation, is practiced in some parts of the country. The review showed that even though the farmers have practicing irrigation for a long time, still they cannot surpass subsistence farming. Furthermore, improvements in irrigation water use efficiency through proper scheduling and on-farm management are not satisfactory. The paper revealed the challenges that hinder water use efficiency improvement includes crop diseases, socio-economic factors, institution and policy-related issues, limitation in technical and human capacity, lack of agricultural input as well as market and nature-related factors. In the future, increased use of remote sensing techniques, more versatile sensors, simulation, and quantitative models are likely to be seen to improve water use efficiency. In most cases where water is saved as a result of the efficient use of technologies, the spare water ends up being used to expand the irrigation area, which results in an increased income for the household. Hence, to achieve net water savings, water-efficient technologies and practices need to be used in combination with other measures such as incentives for conservation and proper use. Besides, appropriate regulations should be set that limit water allocation and usage. The government and partners should allocate resources for capacity building of farmers regarding irrigation, which in extension will lead to enhancement in WUE.

IntroductionThe age at first birth refers to the age at which a woman has her first child. It can significantly influence the demographic behavior of women and the general community. Moreover, teenage childbearing is a serious public health and social problem. The main objective of this study was to identify factors associated with age at first birth among women in Ethiopia.MethodsSecondary data on women were obtained from the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS). These population-based cross-sectional data were downloaded from the Measure Demographic and Health Survey website (http://www.measuredhs.com). The study included a random sample of 8,885 women aged 15–49 years from 305 enumeration areas. A multilevel survival analysis was employed to identify the factors associated with teenage childbearing among women in Ethiopia.ResultsThe majority (67.7%) of randomly sampled women were subjected to teenage childbearing. Women being rural dwellers [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.54]; women from middle-income families (HR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.74); and women from higher-income families (HR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.70) were associated with a higher risk of teenage childbearing. Conversely, contraception method users (HR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77, 0.99), Muslims (HR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.89), Orthodoxes (HR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.80), women with secondary education (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.65), women with higher education (HR = 0.28 (95% CI: 0.22, 0.37), and the higher age of household head (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98, 0.99) were associated with a lower risk of teenage childbearing among women in Ethiopia.ConclusionSince the median age of women to have their first child was 18 years old, this study strongly suggests that stakeholders at the federal and regional levels must work closely toward enforcing the legal age of marriage and implementing national adolescents’ and youths’ targeted sexual and reproductive health programs.

Introduction COVID-19 preventive measures such as stay at home and isolation leads to violence against women. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the common violence during this pandemic. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of physical, psychological and sexual intimate partner violence among reproductive age women during COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Materials and Methods Electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar and African journals online and studies available from the occurrence of the pandemic to April 2023 were searched. Two researchers collected the data and independently performed the methodological quality assessment. To pool the collected data for each outcome with 95% confidence interval (CI), DerSimonian-Laird random effects meta-analysis was used. Publication bias was measured by Doi plot LFK index and Egger’s test. Stata version 14.0 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas, USA) software was used for statistical analysis. Results A total of seven studies reported the prevalence of intimate partner violence among women in reproductive age during COVID-19, and the pooled prevalence of physical intimate partner violence was 22% (95% CI [0.12–0.32], I2 = 98.9%, tau2 = 0.0184, p

The objective of this research was to examine the functions of geerarsa, a popular folksong for expressing feelings, aspirations and achievements artistically. Thus, different excerpts of geerarsa that depict the socio- cultural function, socio- economic function and socio- political function were collected for the study. Data were gathered using interview, observation and focus group discussion. The data were translated into English and analysed based on the alluded functions. The study shows that geerarsa is sung for different purposes by Oromos in Hababo Guduru. Thus, geerarsa is used as a medium for expressing political aspirations, socio-economic status, and culture besides nurturing children with the desired moral lessons. Thus, the people in the area reflect their norm and moral codes through their folktales. However, acculturation and globalization pose as threat to geerarsa and hence different mechanisms should be put in place to preserve this folksong. There are different materials used during geerarsa.

The study aimed at explicating the linguistic choices subsumed in an Oromo protest song, Wal Agarraa by Galanaa Garoomsaa so as to shed light on the underlying messages as a form of political discourse. Music is considered one of the platforms for expressing discontent among the Oromo. In this research, we explored the textual instrumentality of the lyrics of the song as a form of political discourse in exposing the injustices perpetrated against the Oromo. We adopted Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework to identify the discourses in the song. The study has made it evident that the song has got a number of underlying messages meant to raise the consciousness of the citizens regarding the injustices perpetrated against the Oromo. As such, the central theme of the song is that the Oromo quest for justice will be revealed eventually which the artist foreshadows using the title of the song Wal Agarraa/the time will come/. Furthermore, the functions of coercion, legitimization-delegitimization, and resistance, opposition and dissimulation have been subsumed in the song to convey the imbedded messages. The findings of the study also demonstrate that music goes far beyond simply reflecting and describing the state of affairs but it also becomes a platform through which discursive spaces are opened.

The main purpose of this study was to scrutinize techniques in Gadaa system that helped to sustain leadership development of the Oromo Society and its implication for industrial leadership development. The study was conducted using qualitative research method and exploratory research design. Accordingly, data of leadership development practices in the Gadaa system were gathered from key informants through focus group discussion, key informant interviews and non-participant observation. The data were analyzed thematically. The study revealed that there were different strategies within the Gadaa system that helped to nurture the leaders perpetually so that they can manage the society and their resources properly. Gadaa system has got different leadership development techniques such as traditional education, training, experience sharing, observation, practicing and creating a sense of competition among individuals. The Gadaa system encompasses different institutions such as centers, parties, grades and structures of Gadaa system that enabled the society to deal with various challenges, ensure good governance and enhance efficiency in management. Moreover, the study revealed that the Gadaa system has got check and balance system that is undertaken in both the forward and backward directions. Thus, the researchers would like to suggest that the proposed technique of Gadaa system could have a bearing on the improvement of work environment and thus it could potentially be used in tandem with modern day industrial leadership development techniques. Therefore, the government and concerned stakeholders should customize the important technique of Gadaa system with regard to industrial leadership development for ensuring good governance and shaping the behavior of workforce in carrying out their roles and responsibilities properly.

Dry woodland ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon balance and these need accurate biomass predictions that can be obtained from tree allometry. However, information on allometric models is limited for Combretum-Terminalia woodlands of the Amhara Region in Northwestern Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to develop an allometric model for the aboveground biomass (AGBind) of the tree species in the study areas. A total of 149 trees were considered to predict the AGBind (stems, branches and leaves) of the selected species of which 101 samples were collected from nine tree species in Metema district, and 48 sample trees were obtained from four species in Quara district. A new model was developed using log-transformed data with linear regression, and their performance was assessed with the mean absolute prediction error (MAPE%) and the mean prediction error (MPE%). The results of the study indicated that Diameter at breast height (DBH) was the best predictor variable of biomass components for all species. For site-specific data, combined DBH, tree height and wood density best explained the stem and AGBind with the MAPE ranged 18.6–19.2% compared with the DBH-alone model (MAPE ranging from 29.8 to 30.2%). A positive validation was observed on all model forms, but M3 and M4 provided highly precise predictions of AGBind for independent data. However, a large bias was observed in the branch and leaf biomass model for site-specific data with the MAPE ranged 66.6–72.8%. A little improvement was observed in the model performance of plant functional type, while general models developed from the compiled data performed well. For a given model form, a comparable performance was found between the site-specific, tree functional type and general model. Generally, the general model with DBH and wood density together followed by the one which includes three predictors was a better AGBind predictor over the site and tree functional type. The species and site-specific models are thus accurate for site-based prediction whereas the general model contributes to the reliable prediction of AGBind in the studied Combretum-Terminalia woodlands. The comparison with the published models showed that most models produced large errors with MPE ranging from 16.10 to 36.60%, but the best model of tropical dry forests performed much better with MPE ranging from -2.24 to 0.34% and these models can probably be used for Combretum-Terminalia woodland.

The electricity distribution network in Ethiopia has the radial nature of network configuration. The interruption of power is due to overloading and failure of distribution lines due to external forces, like trees, animals, and wind. The failure of the radial distribution network brings blackout in the whole power system network as there is no alternative electricity supply. The renewable energy potential of Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, especially solar power is abundant and needs a mechanism to give a response for electricity demand in the country and city other than expecting from the national grid. The solar photovoltaic system interconnection in radial feeders may bring a solution for power interruption and network performance. The sizing and siting of the solar photovoltaic system in the Ethiopian radial distribution system required an optimization tool to obtain better distribution network parameter. The power loss minimization and voltage profile enhancement of the radial distribution network are the key objectives of this research. Selective particle swarm optimization (SPSO) is used to fix the size and site of installation for network capacity enhancement. A multiobjective optimization problem is formulated so as to meet different constraints to be optimized by the SPSO. Finally, the SPSO enables determining proper size and site of solar power installation and bringing better performance in the radial distribution network of Ethiopia.

This paper presents simultaneous radial distribution network reconfiguration and switched capacitor bank allocation to enhance the performance of distribution systems. The paper primarily targets minimizing active and reactive power losses and improving the voltage profile of all buses. In the paper, network re-structuring and switched capacitor bank integration are performed to optimally allocate and size switchable capacitor banks and to select the optimal structure of the network. Additionally, a modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm is incorporated for both network reconfiguration and optimal capacitor bank allocation, considering different loading condition scenarios such as light, normal and heavy load. The simulation results show that the voltage deviation and active and reactive power losses are substantially reduced for all loading scenarios when the proposed method is applied. This shows that MPSO algorithm is effective in maintaining the bus voltage profile within the allowable threshold value and in significantly minimizing the corresponding power losses. Furthermore, the performance comparison of MPSO and conventional particle swarm optimization in terms of voltage profile and active and reactive power loss has been conducted, and it has been found that the proposed method (MPSO) is more effective to enhance the performance of radial distribution systems.

Soil erosion is one of the major environmental threats in the northwestern Amhara Region of Ethiopia. The objective of this study is to assess the spatial heterogeneity of soil erosion risk within the Gumara-Maksegnit watershed (57.3 km2) using the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) soil erosion assessment method to determine the most endangered areas. The model is simple and robust and consists of six steps overlaying combinations of soil texture, depth, stoniness, climatic and land-use/land-cover information with GIS support. The CORINE model was used to produce potential and actual soil erosion maps. The potential soil erosion map consists of the erosion risk of the land without considering current vegetation, but can be expanded to consider current land cover. The potential soil erosion risk map showed that a small part of the watershed (6.63 %) had low risk, 17.92 % had moderate risk and a large part of the study area (75.45 %) had high potential erosion risk. Meanwhile, the actual soil erosion risk map showed that a small part of the watershed (11.92 %) had low risk, 20.85 % of the area had moderate risk, and a large part of the study area (67.23 %) had high actual soil erosion risk. Low soil erosion risk areas were located in the southern part of the watershed, high erosion risk areas were found in the northern, northwestern and eastern part of the watershed, while moderately risky areas were randomly distributed throughout the watershed. Overall, the CORINE model can play a role in soil and water conservation by identifying highly endangered areas.

This study aimed to identify the students’ perceptual learning style preferences and their academic achievements in EFL. The study is a descriptive survey approach in which mixed method design was employed. The pertinent data were obtained from 245 students. All English teachers were also taken as the sample. In collecting data, a 4- point Likert scale questionnaire called Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire (PLSPQ) was used along with interview and document analysis. The information gathered through close-ended question of the PLSPQ and document analyses were analyzed quantitatively with the help of SPSS for windows version 16. On the other hand, the data gathered through interview were analyzed qualitatively. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to describe the respondents’ preferences of perceptual learning styles. Meanwhile, ANOVA was used to see the significance of differences among the population means of the six PLSPs. Moreover, paired-samples T-test of comparisons was the other statistics technique used to identify the mean of specific PLSP, among the six, that was statistically significantly different from the others. It was found out that they were statistically significantly different from the others. Furthermore, chi- square test was employed to observe the relationships between students’ PLSPs and their English language academic achievements. The findings of the study revealed that group, kinesthetic, tactile, visual, auditory and individual were students’ first, second, third, fourth , fifth and sixth preferred perceptual learning styles respectively. Based on the findings, the means of the six PLSPs were statistically significantly different from each other. What is more, the study revealed that there weren’t statistically significant relationships between students’ PLSPs and their English language academic achievements.